Taiwan to Buy Tobacco Directly From Farmers

Source from:  BY DICKSON KASHOTI 27 April 2007 04/29/2007

Taiwanese ambassador to Malawi James Chuang says his country will from this year buy tobacco directly from farmers, saying in the past Taiwanese companies used tender process to buy the leaf. Chuang said this Tuesday during the interviews of over 30 Malawians who want to have scholarships in Taiwan to study in various fields including education and agriculture, among others. Chuang said Taiwanese companies are impressed with the Malawian leaf and said more companies this year will be buying tobacco from this country, which will lead to the boosting of the country's foreign exchange. Just like tobacco, Chuang also praised Mzuzu Coffee, describing it as the best, saying that is why some Taiwanese companies come to Malawi to buy the coffee. "It is good coffee. I have personally tasted it, it is indeed nice," said Chuang. He however bemoaned that many Taiwanese companies find it difficult to buy commodities from Malawi because the importation costs are extremely high as Malawi is a land locked country. The ambassador said Malawi and Taiwan have strong links of relationship, which dates back to over 40 years, saying this is why his country is funding several projects in Malawi, including the Karonga Chitipa Road and the construction of the new Parliament building in Lilongwe. Turning to the people he had interviewed for the scholarships, Chuang said Taiwan has managed to develop within a few years because of its emphasis on education. "Education is the key to any country's success. This is why Taiwan has over 150 universities. You have the desire and aspiration to attain higher education, I admire you," said Chuang. He said 288 Malawians have applied for scholarships to study various programmes in the Taiwanese universities but said it was sad that none of them applied to study ICT. "Taiwan is a leading ICT manufacture. Taiwan is actually in the world top 4 in ICT products and very soon we will be moving to number three. I surprised that none has applied to study ICT," he said. Taiwan is one of the most developed countries in the world with a population of 23 million and is the 14th biggest trading nation in the world with business fortunes totalling US$390 billion annually. It is ranked the 18th largest economy in the world. Enditem